as in monarchs
one who rules over a people with a sole, supreme, and usually hereditary authority
the aging ruler agonized over the choice of an heir
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rulers
Punk music and its spirit clearly worried the Soviet rulers.
—
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
But hijab is no side issue for Tehran’s rulers.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025
Abu Hudheifa al-Bambari, a JNIM spokesperson, released a video statement last month to warn civilians not to help the army, which is backed by a Russian force after Mali's rulers turned against years of help from former colonial power France.
—Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Yet, in a recent interview with fellow journalist Jorge Ramos, Mamdani dodged questions about whether Venezuela’s and Cuba’s rulers are dictators.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Finally, some inscriptions seem to indicate strong alliances or diplomatic ties with other Mayan rulers, a critical detail given that Cobá was a major urban center for centuries.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2025
Plus, with the new win, Yankee ties Bad Bunny with 29 rulers, the fourth-most following J Balvin (39), Ozuna (36) and Enrique Iglesias (32).
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025
Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has been led by four different military rulers and seen three coups.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Successive Iranian rulers believed that dams, deep wells, and inter-basin transfers could outsmart geography and climate.
—Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Nov. 2025
But hijab is no side issue for Tehran’s rulers.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 7 Nov. 2025
Abu Hudheifa al-Bambari, a JNIM spokesperson, released a video statement last month to warn civilians not to help the army, which is backed by a Russian force after Mali's rulers turned against years of help from former colonial power France.
—Matthew Tostevin, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Yet, in a recent interview with fellow journalist Jorge Ramos, Mamdani dodged questions about whether Venezuela’s and Cuba’s rulers are dictators.
—Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
Finally, some inscriptions seem to indicate strong alliances or diplomatic ties with other Mayan rulers, a critical detail given that Cobá was a major urban center for centuries.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2025
Plus, with the new win, Yankee ties Bad Bunny with 29 rulers, the fourth-most following J Balvin (39), Ozuna (36) and Enrique Iglesias (32).
—Pamela Bustios, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025
Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has been led by four different military rulers and seen three coups.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Successive Iranian rulers believed that dams, deep wells, and inter-basin transfers could outsmart geography and climate.
—Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rulers
Noun
-
Every so often, the dead monarchs and their court sashay out of the past to offer unsubtle commentary.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Some ironic anti-royalists wore golden paper crowns from Burger King, but the more sartorially, not to say lepidopterously, dedicated came dressed as orange-and-black butterflies, these being the only monarchs allowed in America.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Los Angeles Dodgers are kings of the baseball world yet again.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Nov. 2025
-
High above Rio de Janeiro's coastline, he was given the keys to the city by Mayor Eduardo Paes — an honor usually reserved for the kings and queens of the famous carnival.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Following the Qianlong Garden, museum officials said Yangxindian (Hall of Mental Cultivation), the residence and administrative office for Qing emperors, is also expected to reopen this year after completing restoration work that started in 2018.—
Fred He,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
-
As a consequence, manuscripts from the Cotton collection have shelf marks such as Julius D X or Tiberius D III, and lists of such manuscripts are not arranged alphabetically but follow the sequence of Roman emperors.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, has similarly dropped into deep curtsies when meeting other sovereigns on trips abroad.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Wall Street, institutions and even sovereigns are migrating infrastructure onto the blockchain and ETH is well positioned to capture value through various channels.—
Todd Gordon,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rulers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rulers. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share